Less than a year ago, God nudged me to attend a retreat where I knew no one. It felt a little like jumping out of a plane, but I took that leap of obedience anyway. There I met women who “got” me. Women who love God. Women who encourage others in their walk of faith through the power of communication. Women who pen words that point to Jesus. That leap felt huge at the time, but in hindsight it was small in comparison to the empowerment and courage I gained from sharing one weekend with those beautiful Jesus-loving women.
Today I’m honored to collaborate with several of them in a mini-Bible study spearheaded by one of those Jesus-loving gals, Jodie Barrett at Faithfully Following ministries.
Throughout my daughter’s childhood, I never doubted that God answered prayers. Time and time again, I saw the undisputable evidence of God’s work in her life. My girl was happy and thriving, unaware of the turbulence in her parents’ personal lives. That was my daily prayer as I strived to parent her. Please, Lord, do not let our hurt, our mistakes, our anger, our broken marriage negatively affect our little girl.
With each passing year, her faith and confidence soared. Without fail, as I prayed for answers to guide my girl through each teachable moment, God always came through. Sometimes I’d look back in sheer amazement of God. As she approached college, I asked God to open doors for her. Again, He generously answered.
My daughter is now an adult passionately working for God’s kingdom. During those adolescent years, I prayed thousands of prayers for her. But, I didn’t pray for me. With such irrefutable, concrete proof of God’s goodness, why didn’t I?
Because I believed the sneering lie of Satan: I was not worthy.
Though I prayed often for my daughter, I didn’t want to waste God’s time on me.
Satan convinced me I wasn’t worthy of God’s love. Other people mattered to God, like my daughter, but not me. I didn’t deserve God’s favor.
I walked into a chapel one weekend deeply convinced of my unworthiness. What I didn’t know was this–when I couldn’t pray for myself, others were. And, thus began God’s work of grace and restoration in my life. Spilling tears and years of hidden brokenness, I walked out of that chapel finally free of Satan’s taunting lie.
Sweet sister, is this you? Has Satan buried his ugly lie in your thoughts?
As Suzie encourages in “The Spirit-Led Heart,” reach for your promised Helper, the Holy Spirit who lives within you. Together, let’s stand on God’s truths, asking the Holy Spirit to empower us with God’s unchanging word as we battle Satan’s lie. And, sweet sister, Satan loses! Our loving God proclaims these truths:
• You, my sweet sister, are chosen and dearly loved. Colossians 3:12
• You, my dear friend, are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
• Precious one, God knows every need of your heart because He numbered every hair on your head. Matthew 10:30
Armed with truth, the Holy Spirit emboldens us to shout:
“No, Satan! I AM worthy for God lovingly chose me.”
Hugs,
Monica
Here’s a link to the full devotional at my friends’ Faithfully Following Ministries: